Tag: religion
Bulgaria chooses new religious leader -- with complex past
Bulgaria's church has long been an important cultural and moral center for the country. And over the weekend, for the first time in centuries, the new leader was chosen without government influence. But still, because of decades of political input, the new patriarch assumes office with a bit of uncertainty around him....
Classic book 'Of Mice and Men' under scrutiny in Turkey
The Turkish government recommends every student in the country read John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but now a parent has complained it's not appropriate, because of a few lines on a couple of pages in the book....
American rabbi elected to Israeli Knesset with hopes of bridging sectarian divide
Israel's mainstream Jewish community is upset with the way its Ultra-Orthodox community is exempted from requirements to do military or national service and often doesn't pay any taxes. That tension provided an opening for an American-born rabbi, Dov Lipman to be elected with a goal of bridging the divide....
New contraception law in the Philippines indicative of decline of Catholic Church influence
The Filipino Catholic Church has long been influential in the country's politics, as well as its morality. But that influence is waning, and perhaps nowhere is that more visible in the end of a decade-long battle to enact legislation providing for free contraceptives to the country's residents....
Spanish priest commissions graffiti work to brighten up his church
Father Ramon Borr decided his Spanish church wasn't quite as lively as he wanted. So he found a couple of graffiti artists and told them to liven things up. And he didn't just give them a hidden wall -- he gave them the dome over the altar as their canvas, perhaps the most prominent place in the church....
Tunisian Jews seek religious tolerance after the revolution
Two years after the revolution that overthrew former President Ben Ali, Tunisia is struggling with a tough economy and unemployment, and its pushing Tunisian Jews out of the country. But through the hardship, some Jews are reflecting on the positives that could define the country's future....
Next papal selection could bring first non-European pope
The majority of Catholics around the world now live in Latin America and Africa, and those are the places where the church is still growing. Now, those Catholics in the developing world outnumber the Catholics from Europe. And still, the Catholic Church has never had a non-European Pope. Will that change?...
Pope Benedict XVI set to resign at month's end, citing decline in strength
In a move that surprised many church watchers, the spiritual leader of the more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide, Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday that he would step down as pope on Feb. 28. A new leader is expected by the end of March....
Hispanic American immigrants increasingly finding home is Islam
A growing community of Hispanic American immigrants, as well as Hispanics in their home country, are choosing to convert from their predominantly Christian religions to Islam. It's especially common for women....
India trying to get Hindus to move back to contested Kashmir
India and Pakistan have long jostled for control of the Kashmir region along the border of their two countries. That jostling has also led to religious violence, which drove many Hindus out of Kashmir. But now India is encouraging them to come back....
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